What if we had lost?
by Blue Eyed Dragon Girl
Summary: An AU fic! What if the troobians conquered earth back when Mirlock attacked? Where would the rangers be now? Please R&R Chapter 4 now posted!
1. A walk in the park

Brief history:

Year:

2000 – Ransik attacks earth. Time force rangers follow him to bring him back to the future. Rangers meet Wesley Collins. Wesley Collins becomes the Red Time Force Ranger. Eric Myers becomes the Quantum Ranger.

2001 – Ransik is apprehended. Rangers return to future with Ransik and captured monsters. Wesley and Eric remain active rangers and Captain's of the Silver Guardians.

2002 – Wesley Collins marries Alexandra Tate. Bio Labs begins development of new morphers.

2003 – Schuyler Tate Collins is born.

2004 – Jack Landers and Elizabeth Delgado are born.

2005 – Bridge Carson and Sydney Drew are born.

2010 – Earth joins officially joins SPD and establishes new base. Silver Guardians and Bio Labs merge with SPD.

2011 – Mirlock, a general of Omni, kills Wesley Collins. SPD earth forces are over thrown. Earth becomes a planet of the Troobian Empire. Alexandra Tate dies during Troobian attack. Eric Myers disappears.

2021- Schuyler Tate joins Drew Technologies Security Force.

2023 – Bridge Carson joins Drew Technologies Security Force.

2025 – Present Day

"I'll tell you once, I'll tell you a thousand times! I _don't _need a body guard!"

"Nor do you need to go shopping ten times a week but that hasn't stopped you before!"

"What_ever _Sky!It still doesn't change the fact that I am perfectly capable of looking after myself. I don't need your protection."

"I don't _care _if you need protection or not! You think I want to be your personal babysitter? I have lots of other things I could be doing right now."

"Right… with your brooding and training… and whining and training… and glaring and training, wow! I'm surprised you had time for little old me!"

"You know what Syd? I have orders, okay? And I plan on following them whether you like it or not!"

"Well then, I _order _you to go away!"

"Well _sorry _Princess but I don't take orders from you! (_Thank god!) _So just deal with it!"

Bridge Carson smirked as he watched Schuyler "Sky" Tate and Sydney "Syd" Drew begin their usual early morning banter. Every time Syd went out beyond the complex grounds Syd's father, Harrison Drew, _insisted_ Syd take at least two body guards with her. It wasn't that she was doing anything wrong or that she couldn't defend herself. It was just that the troobians rarely discriminated between rich humans and the ones in the slave labour camps. Anyone they saw outside their designated zones needed to be checked for authorization. Drew Technologies Security Force offices had clearance, but Sydney wasn't an officer and troobians had a habit of shooting first and asking for clearance later.

Drew Technologies was one of the few companies that were allowed to remain after the fall of SPD. They were converted from a research facility to a weapons and technology factory. Basically, they built the guns and ships that kept the troobian army running Earth. Thus, that made Mr. Drew one of the richest humans on the planet but also the most targeted by Terran rebellion forces. They had to screen all their personnel very carefully to avoid rebel spies, which is why he insisted on the bodyguards for his pampered daughter. All of Syd's life her father had tried to give her all that she desired. Even after earth was conquered he had managed to provide her with a more than comfortable lifestyle.

As far as Bridge knew Sky had been under Mr. Drew's care since the fall of SPD and had been given all the care that Syd had received. For some reason though he decided to join the company's security force once he was old enough. Bridge thought it might have something to do with his parents, but as Sky never talked about them, he could only guess. Bridge, whose parents had managed to find factory jobs to avoid the labour camps, had managed to give Bridge as good an up bringing as could be expected. It hadn't been all sunshine and lollipops but it was better than it could have been. Two years after Sky, when Bridge was 18, he joined the Security force as well. He quickly made friends with Syd and, being Sky's bunkmate, had also managed form as close to what could be called a friendship with Sky. (He wasn't exactly the most friendly of types but Bridge knew he meant well.)

Most people found it odd that Sky and Bridge had been chosen to be Syd's personal guards considering how young and inexperienced they were. But Bridge and Sky brought other things with them to the table. Bridge was empathic and able to sense presences, which is great for spotting dangers before you get to them. Sky had the ability to create force fields with his mind which made him an obvious choice as a protector. Sydney also had a genetic gift. She had the power to absorb elements into her hands, literally creating fists of iron. None of them knew where their abilities came from but it was one of the main things that had drawn them to each other. It was also why Sydney _allowed_ Bridge and Sky to be her body guards. She hated people treating her like she was weak and, as her friends, Sky and Bridge knew better. Sydney had been training as long as Sky had in martial arts and hand to hand combat and she could be darn right scary when she got mad. Bridge had picked up a bit of street fighting when he was younger and had quickly mastered the basic combat skills taught to all the security personnel.

"I don't understand why you insist on walking around the market district every day," Sky complained. "The troobians control all incoming imports. All you have to do to see if anything if anything new is in is look up the cargo ship manifolds."

Syd just rolls her eyes. "It takes away from the adventure of it. The mystery of finding new things."

"We're _shopping _Syd, not looking for buried treasure. And I'd hardly call this an adventure."

"Well it _is _a nice break from the complex," Bridge added, attempting to keep the peace between his bickering friends. "I mean, not that I don't like the complex, I do like the complex. It's all big and… complex… well, actually, the design isn't that complex for a complex. It's actually quite simple in comparison to the market place… unless you take it just for the square that it is and take out the booths… or is it pentagon? I can't really tell with all the…"

"BRIDGE!" Sky and Syd yelled in unison, silencing their babbling friend.

"Just say you agree," Syd said exasperated.

Bridge turned to Sky. "I agree with Syd. Shopping's fun."

Sky could only raise an eyebrow in response before sighing and shaking his head in defeat. It was far too early in the day to be dealing with Bridge speech.

Sydney sighed. "I miss the good old days when I got to shop by myself with out escorts."

Sky gave Sydney a look. "Syd, the troobians took over when you were 6. You _never_ got to shop with out escorts. They probably didn't even let you cross the road by yourself."

Syd glared back a Sky. "You know what I mean. I miss… walking down the street without having to worry about having proper clearance for that zone, or only having to leave a note if I want to go out to the store instead of bringing a security detail."

"Or buying ice cream from a street vendor," Bridge added enthusiastically.

"Or hotdogs,"

"Or running through the sprinklers on your front lawn-

"WITHOUT having to worry about water usage limits."

"Or buttery toast!"

Syd shook her head and laughed. "Especially butter toast!"

"Yeah," Bridge replied. Both Syd and him were beaming by this point.

"Playing in the park with my dad," Sky added softly, his voice giving the slightest hint of sadness.

Bridge and Syd exchanged knowing looks. Syd latched on to one of his arms and Bridge put his arm around Sky's shoulders giving him a reassuring squeeze. They were silent for a moment as they continued to walk.

"I think I miss the mall the most," Syd announced, pouting girlishly.

Bridge chuckled at Syd's blonde remark. Leave it to Syd to know how to break an awkward silence. Sky only rolled his eyes, breaking from his friends' grasp.

"Well Syd, even princesses like you don't get everything they want."

"Why do you have to be _so_ pessimistic Sky, about _everything_?" Syd demanded, annoyed at Sky's now condescending tone. "I'm just expressing how I feel. You remember those things, don't you? You know? They're called feelings. Or has you stone cold heart completely stopped functioning?"

"I'm not being pessimistic. I'm being realistic. Just because you like your dream wor-

"Guys," Bridge interrupted.

"Yeah Bridge?" Sky and Syd replied in unison.

"We're here."

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_TBC _

_Hope you enjoyed the first chap! Please review!_


	2. Who needs sleep anyways

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**Chapter 2: Who needs sleep anyways?

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"Ahh…"

Sky sighed as he finally collapsed onto his bed. He never could figure out why days like this tired him out so much. He could run twenty miles, do 500 pushups, and pull an 18 hour shift but none of those ever seemed to tire him out like Syd's shopping trips. He supposed it was all the standing around doing nothing. As kid he has always been the impatient type and could never stand still for very long. He would get too fidgety and even now he would drive his friends crazy with his pacing. He couldn't help it though. It was one of the few habits he just couldn't kick.

"Hey Sky? You awake?"

Sky groaned inwardly as Bridge plopped down on the other bed. Bride and him had been room mates for the whole two years since Bridge had joined up and in that time Sky had learned just how chatty Bridge could get right before bed. Not that Sky completely minded. Despite what people might think, he enjoyed Bridge's company. Bridge's social and enthusiastic nature was the perfect compliment to Sky's sullen moods and seriousness. Bridge didn't need someone to respond to all his rambling, he just needed someone to listen, and since Sky was about as talkative as piece of lawn furniture, it worked out perfectly. There were days though that Sky seriously missed having his own room.

"Sky?" Bridge asked again curiously, unsure if his friend had heard.

"Yeah Bridge, I'm awake." Sky replied with a yawn.

"Oh, good." Bridge paused and was quiet for a moment, thinking over how to phrase his next question.

The silence got Sky's attention and curiosity at what Bridge was obviously contemplating over whether or not to ask. Bridge was never one think too much about what he said. He was more of the rambling type so this quietness had Sky concerned. He opened his eyes, propping himself up on his elbows looking over to where Bridge sat. "Is there something wrong Bridge?"

"No," Bridge replied quietly.

Sky wasn't convinced. "What going on Bridge? You're never this quiet."

"I was just thinking…"

"About?"

"Why everyone just gave up."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I don't know. I was thinking about our conversation earlier today about how we all missed our lives before SPD fell. We know what it was like to have that… that freedom. But after the power rangers were defeated everyone else just gave up. I mean, remember back in the 90's, back when Astronama took over Angel Grove and rounded up all the citizens while looking for the power rangers? The people not only tried to hide them, they fought with them… and they won."

"And you're wondering why people don't fight back now?"

"Yeah, I mean, there's way more of us then there are them. They have slave laborers working in almost every facility. If everyone just rose up… I don't think they could stop us. I mean, I'd fight for that. Wouldn't you?"

Sky was silent for a moment, just staring a Bridge curiously. He'd never seen this side of Bridge before. Never so… serious, so…intense. And also never making this much sense before. Now that Sky thought about, he wondered the same thing. Why weren't more people fighting in the rebellion? Why wasn't he? Mirlock had murdered his father, one of the last few people to stand up to Grumm's forces. He died protecting earth and here Sky was, a body guard for some blond princess whose father was making the very weapons they used to enslave their planet. Suddenly Sky felt very ashamed because part of him knew why he and so many people hadn't fought back. Besides the fact that he was 8 at the time, he, like so many other people, was afraid, and that was why he followed the rules and let the injustices go. It's why everyone just let them go, because of fear.

"Sky?" Bridge asked curiously, interrupting Sky's train of thought.

"Hmm?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Oh yeah, sorry. I think… yes." Sky answered, sounding slightly more resolute on that final word. It was more of a declaration than an answer to a random question. "I think my Dad would want me to. _I_ would want to. I do want to."

"Hmm," Bridge replied thoughtfully. "I think my parents would fight too. Most people would. I mean, there would be a bunch that might run away, but I know a couple of people that follow through. Most people are just afraid that's all."

"They've certainly been given reason to be."

"Do you think your parents would have fought?"

"They did," Sky replied quietly, flopping back onto his back to avoid Bridge's gaze.

"Sky," Bridge said cautiously, "I know it's none of my business, but… how did it happen? I mean, you never talk about your family. Not once in the whole two years I've known you. All I know is that you've lived with Syd's family since the takeover."

"What do you want to know?" Sky replied flatly.

"Well… what did they do? What were they like?"

Sky thought carefully about what to say. He had actually thought about it before. It's not like Bridge was the first one to ask, but ever since his parents died the Drews had thought it be best Sky hid his lineage. It's not exactly a good idea in this day and age to go around telling people you're related to a power ranger. It wasn't that he didn't trust Bridge; he did, with his life. It was just that is was something would probably end up getting Bridge hurt one day, and he didn't want to ever to see that happen to his friend.

"It's okay," Bridge said, thinking Sky's silence was refusal to answer. "It's none of my business. I was just curious."

"No, it's alright. My dad was a silver guardian. My mom was a lab technician at BioLabs. It was how they met. My dad was the energetic type. He could be serious if he needed to be but I can't remember a time when we were together when he wasn't smiling. My mom was…" Sky chuckled. "…fierce. I mean, she was loving, kind, and could be very gentle, but… she was so brave. My dad too. He was just… fearless. He was a hero."

"What happened to them?"

"My parents were friends with Syd's family. I was just there for a play date."

"A date with Syd?" Bridge asked teasingly. "I knew you had a thing her for but I didn't realize it went back so far."

"Shut up Bridge," Skybarked sending Bridge an annoyed glare. "Do you want to hear this or not?"

"Sorry! Sorry. Continue."

"As I was saying, I was at Syd's house while my mom and dad were off at work. There was an attack on BioLabs and the Silver Guardians were called in. It was one of the first wave of attacks by Grumm. My dad was killed in the attack. After the rest of the Guardians were beaten back they went after the complex. Most of the people actually made it out but… my mom stayed behind. I don't know what they were working on but it was big and they couldn't let it fall into the wrong hands."

"Did they?"

"Did they what?"

"Get their hands on whatever they were working on."

Sky shook his head. "No. She managed to wipe all the computers but… she didn't make it out."

Bridge gazed at Sky sadly, but Sky refused to look his way, finding the ceiling a far more fascinating specimen. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm proud of them. At least they tried, which is more than any of us are doing."

"So you really have lived here since you were 8?" Bridge asked, looking surprised.

"Yep,"

"And they made you sleep in the officer dorms?"

Sky chuckled at Bridge'scomfused expression. "No, I had a different room from this before. I started sleeping here when I joined their security force. I didn't want the other officers to think I was getting special treatment."

"What room was it?"

"You know the guest room two doors down from Syd's room?"

"That room?"

"Yeah,"

"Wow!"

"What?"

"I've been in there once before. That's a big room!"

"Yeah, it is."

"And you traded it in of this one?"

"Yes."

"It's like a quarter of the size!" Bridge exclaimed, still in shock.

"I don't need a lot of space." Sky replied indifferently.

"Can I have it?"

"What?"

"The room,"

"My old one?"

"Yeah,"

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's not for security personnel. That wing is strictly for family members and special guests."

"Yeah, but Syd and I are friends and if no ones using it and since it _was_ your room, not to mention you _do_ have security clearance for like the whole base because you've lived here since you were 8-

"Bridge!"

"Yes?"

"You can't have the room."

"Darn," was Bridge's reply as he finally flopped down on his own bed. "Hey Sky."

"Yeah Bridge," Sky replied sleepily.

"I think I would have liked to meet them. Your parents, I mean. They sounded like really great people... really brave."

"They were the best."

"Good nightSky."

"Night Bridge," Sky replied, finally giving in to the soothing call of sleep.

_To be continued..._

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_Well there's the new chap. Hope you liked it. Please review. No review is a bad review even if it says I suck! _

_Thanks!_


	3. Late nights and day jobs

_Disclaimer: Don't own squat! Otherwise there would have been an SPD season 2!_

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**Chapter 3: Late nights and day jobs**

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"_Time for Time Force!"_

"_Hiyah!"_

"_Wa-cha!"_

"_Wazzah!" _

"_Take that evil Ransik!"_

"_No one messes with the pink ranger!"_

"_Kiyah!"_

"What the hell are you doing Syd?"

"Huh?... Ahhh!"

Syd jumped in shock as an annoyed looking Sky Tate snuck up behind her. She hadn't expected to run into anyone in this part of the complex. Mind you, that had a lot to do with the fact that only four people on the entire planet had the security clearance to get into the vault room, and only three people had the codes to unlock it. Those three people were Sky, her dad, and herself and she would have expected her other two counter parts to be in bed by now. It was nearly midnight.

"You didn't answer my question. What are you doing here and what are you doing with _that_?" Sky demanded angrily, pointing to the singed morpher on Syd's wrist.

"Well, I… uh," Syd turned a deep shade of red as she searched for the right words to save her from this mess. She knew exactly why she was wearing the morpher. Several times before she had snuck down to the vault room to try on the legendary technology. What person wouldn't want the chance to feel what it's like to be a power ranger… to be a hero? That morpher was the very one that had belonged to Sky's dad. It was the one that he had been wearing the day he was killed. It was a symbol of the last shred of hope that had left for the future of earth, which was why Syd was so reluctant to explain to Sky that she had been playing make believe with it. She had far too much pride for that.

"I'm waiting…"

Sky rolled his eyes exasperated as she watched Syd squirm uncomfortably under his gaze. "You know what? Never mind. Just hand it over and get out of here, okay?" _Ten bucks says she was playing make believe again. _Sky held out his hand expectantly while Syd undid the strap on the morpher. _And then she wonders why I don't take her seriously. _

Syd paused as she was about to hand over the morpher. "You know what? I don't need to take that kind of attitude from you Sky. So no."

Sky gave the petit blond an odd look. She had suddenly become very defensive and for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. "Come again?"

"No."

"I'm not following you here Syd and personally I don't have time for your games. Just hand over the morpher and go to bed."

"No. I won't hand it over. Why should I?" Syd demanded stepping closer to Sky in a threatening way. "I mean, come _on_ Sky! This thing has been sitting around collecting dust in the vault for years. It's no use anyone like this. This thing could be the key to taking back earth and you keep it hidden away like you're ashamed of it."

"First of all, it's DNA activated meaning it won't work for anyone else. So it's useless to anyone but him. Second, I've never been ashamed of who my parents were. I'm just not stupid enough to go around telling the world about it."

"You know? You say that Sky but seems more and more clear to me every time we talk about this that you're just afraid."

"I am _not_ afraid."

"So then why do you care if I use it or not?"

"Because it's not yours!" Sky retorted just as forcefully, stepping forward as well.

"It's not yours either,"

"It's my fathers,"

"And he's _dead_ Sky!" Syd shouted. She immediately regretted the words as she saw Sky's steely eyes flicker for a moment in pain before resuming their piercing gaze.

"Give. Me. The morpher," Sky said coldly.

"I'm sorry Sky," Syd replied softly handing over the device. "I didn't… I shouldn't have said that."

Sky didn't reply. He had turned his back on her and was staring at the famed device in his hand.

"You think I like hiding my past Syd? Do you think I enjoy pretending my father and mother meant nothing to me?"

"Of course no-

"I hate it Syd!" Sky began shout, as he turned to face Syd. "I _hate_ the pretending! I _hate_ the hiding! I hate _being afraid_! Because I know they wouldn't have hidden. They would have fought and been the heroes I know they were, unlike me… I look at myself and I'm ashamed of what I see because I know they wouldn't stand for what's going on. I just let things happen. I protect the daughter of the man who builds the weapons that allow those monsters to rule our planet."

"Hey!" Syd exclaimed suddenly, yelling back at Sky. "That's not fair Sky! My father doesn't have a choice! If he didn't build what they wanted then he wouldn't have been able to build all the homes for all the people who lost their homes when those monsters took over. He wouldn't be able to protect all of his employees and their families. He wouldn't be able to feed them and keep them safe from being sent off to the labour camps! And he certainly wouldn't be able to protect you are me from a life of scrounging out on the streets! So don't you even dare try and call him the bad guy! Not after all he's done you!"

Sky stared Syd down silently before finally relenting. "You're right. I'm sorry. Your father's a good man and he doesn't deserve that. I just feel so…"

"Helpless," Syd finished.

"Yeah," Sky replied softly. "I just don't want to be one of those people who sits around and waits for someone to come and save the day. I want to do something. But I don't what to do or where to start."

"You could always go off and join the rebels," said Syd, a smirk slowly crossing her lips.

Sky rolled his eyes. "Right, because you _know_ they've just been waiting for the day that a low level security guard with a _broken_ morpher would come and join their ranks."

"Well, you could always supply them financially. You _are_ technically the heir to all of the Collin's fortunes."

"Yeah well, property values tend to go down when all of your factories and properties are reduced to rubble."

"That _would_ tend to bring down stalk values…"

"Not to mention the money in the bank pretty much disappeared right when the bank was _also _reduced to rubble."

"You could be a spy for them," suggested Sydney.

"No, actually, I couldn't," Sky replied, his tone growing more serious.

"Why not? I know you're not exactly Mr. Sneaky but –

"Syd, who do you think they'd get me to spy on?"

Sydney paused for a moment, contemplating before it suddenly dawned on her. "Oh," was all she could reply.

"Yes, 'oh'. Why do you think we screen our employees so carefully? To prevent spies from getting in here. It's not that I want to hinder their cause or anything. I want to be free as much as the next person but you of all people should remember what happened three years ago. One of their spies got in here and planted a bomb. Dozens of workers were hurt and dozens more were killed. God, if Bridge hadn't been hired not two years ago it probably would've happened again."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Every night we get Bridge to do a psychic scan of the critical areas of the factory. In the past two years we've caught nearly half a dozen sabotage attempts that could have ended up getting a lot of innocent people hurt."

"I never knew that,"

"Well, your father likes to keep these things quiet. No point worrying the other workers for no reason. I have to say, it's probably why I never joined the rebels. I mean, I support their cause, but just… not their methods. Freedom's not much use to dead people."

Both Sky and Sydney sighed simultaneously as they stood in silence.

"Okay," Syd chirped, breaking the silence, "I'm officially depressed. So how about we call it a night?"

Sky chuckled at his perky friend. "Yeah, I need get up early to do my rounds, so I better hit the hay," Sky replied, turning back to the safe. Giving the morpher on last look he gently placed the device back in its case and then sealed off vault doors.

"Hey Sky," Syd said, as the two began to head back up the flight of stairs.

"Yeah,"

"What exactly were _you _doing down here. I mean, only like four people in the entire complex have the codes to get into this wing and… hey! You were planning on doing exactly what I was doing, weren't you?"

"What? No!" Sky exclaimed, beginning to turn a deep shade of crimson.

"Ha! You're turning red! You _so_ were! You were planning on coming down here to play make believe, just like we used to when we were little!"

"First of all, no I wasn't! Second of all, you're hardly one talk considering you were the one who was caught playing pink ranger."

"What_ever_! You can't even deny it buddy! It's written all over your face!"

"Oh look!" Sky said as they turned down the corridor, "This is my wing! Bye Syd!"

"You can't escape me that easily Schuyler!" Sydney called out. But it was already too late. Sky had already began to dash down towards the officer's wing and quickly disappeared as he turned off around the next corner.

Syd just rolled her eyes. "And then he wonders why I don't take him seriously."

_**Elsewhere in the Drew Technologies complex…**_

A gloved pair of hands dashed speedily across the computer consol. It had taken a few minutes but after some skillful hacking the schematics for the latest weapons developments began to flash across the screen.

The lone figure quickly copied all the information onto a disk along with any other information that he could manage to access in the limited timeframe he had. The shipping schedules and orders would be invaluable information for planning their next rebel raid. He was almost disappointed he wouldn't be able to be a part of it, but his work here was invaluable to the resistance. They needed him just where he was.

The figured jumped suddenly at the sound of two approaching voices. He quickly grabbed the disk and shut the consol down leaving the room now in complete darkness.

"…_you're hardly one talk considering you were the one who was caught playing pink ranger."_

"_Whatever! You can't even deny it buddy! It's written all over your face!"_

The figure held his breath he listened to the sound of foot steps suddenly dashing off, followed by another pair shortly after. After waiting a few more minutes he slowly pushed the door open and strode over to the nearest disposal unit. Checking once more to see that the coast was clear he placed the disk in a silver canister, activated the homing beacon, and tossed it in. The rebels would come find it as soon as they picked up the signal.

For him though, his work was done, so he headed back off to the officers dorms to get some sleep. It was the one down side of being a rebel spy. His first priority may be to steal information for the rebel forces, but that didn't mean he didn't have to get up early to do his rounds. Everybody has to have a day job.

_To be continued…_

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_Wow! It's been a long time since I updated! sorry people! I kinda drifted away from this story and started another and now I'm kinda drifting back to this one. I actually almost considered just leaving it but then I got inspired to write. My summer's boring anyway. It's the perfect time to get inspired! So I hope you enjoyed this chap! I intend to write the next chap at a much speedier pace. This last one just remained half finished and saved on my lap top for like 6 months. So here it is! All finished! Enjoy! _

_Please review! Even if you hate! I really don't mind if you hate my work! Just so long as I know "what" you hated it! It allows for me to make changes and hopefully make it something you despise a little less than before! Thanks!_


	4. Marketplace mishaps

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**Chapter 4: Marketplace mishaps**

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"Ooh Sky!" Sydney squealed excitedly as she held up dark blue blazer. "Come here! You have _got _to try this on. It'll look perfect on you." 

Sky just shook his head as he trudged over to Sydney's bouncing form. "Why? Why me? Why is the world so cruel?"

Sydney rolled her eyes as she held up the blazer in front of Sky. "Oh, don't be such a drama queen. Come on! Just try it on."

"Syd, I don't need any more clothes. Besides, where would I wear something like that? When I'm not working, I'm sleeping. And at no point in the near future can I see _that_ ever becoming standard work attire, nor something I sleep in."

"That's besides the point, Sky," Syd said, now putting on a full pout, "You buy something like this for a special occasion. Everybody needs at least _one_ nice thing to wear."

Sky raised an eyebrow. "That's what you said the last time you conned me into buying something, and guess what? It's still sitting in my closet. Why? Because there haven't _been_ any special occasions where I've needed to wear that. I'm a security guard Syd. I wear sweat pants and a t-shirt on my days off, not formal wear. Back me up here Bridge," Sky pleaded as he turned to his surprisingly quiet friend. "Bridge?"

"Hmm?" Bridge replied groggily as he snapped to attention.

"Someone not get their coffee this morning?" Syd asked curiously.

"Oh, um, no," Bridge replied sleepily as he ran a gloved hand through his disheveled hair. "I just, didn't get a good sleep last night."

"I noticed," Sky replied curiously, "I meant to ask before, where were you? You weren't in bed when I got back last night."

"Oh, right," Bridge replied sheepishly, "I couldn't sleep. I went to go grab a hot shower. You know? To see if it would help me sleep."

"It obviously didn't do the trick," Syd chuckled, as nudged Bridge playfully.

Bridge chuckled as well. "Yes well, when it comes to sleep quality doesn't make up for quanti-

Bridge was suddenly cut of when the sound of sirens began to blare throughout the market place. All at once the market place burst into panic as shop owners began to furiously pack up their merchandise while pedestrians began to scatter to either get out of the area or find shelter.

"Shit," was Sky's only reply as he latched onto both Sydney and Bridge and began to drag them off in the direction of the complex. Hopefully they would be able to get out the crowd before the krybots came decided to clear the crowd their own way.

"Is it another rebel attack?" Syd asked, trying to hide the panic in her voice.

"Don't know," Sky replied sternly, "but sirens mean Krybots which means we have to get out of here, fast."

Krybots: the law enforcers of New Tech city. They were interesting creatures. Being robots they obviously had no emotions yet for some reason they were always known for their ruthlessness, which many people claimed, they enjoyed. It was certainly a well know fact that the law enforcers of New Tech city had a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later. No one was safe when they were carrying out orders. And the fact that they had incredibly bad aim didn't help, not that it mattered when there were twenty of them shooting at you. Needless to say though, when sirens like that went off it meant anyone who wanted to keep their lives needed to get out of there as soon as possible which Bridge, Syd, and Sky were all trying to do.

"Bridge," Sky barked, "Can you do a sweep of the area? We need to know which way their coming from."

"No problem," replied the now fully alert Bridge. He quickly removed his glove and waved his hand in front of him. His eyes went wide as he quickly reached over and pulled Syd and Sky to the ground. Just in time too as several shots whirred by, right where Sydney and Sky had been standing, causing them all to jump.

"That way," Bridge replied, now stating the obvious as several Krybots came into view. Along with them also came a young man and woman, who were obviously being chased by the Krybots. The black man had shoulder length dread locks, and was dressed in a pair of torn baggy jeans and a faded green jacket. The Hispanic woman had shoulder length brown hair and was wearing similarly ripped black jeans along with a black leather jacket over a pink t-shirt. Neither of them looked much older than Sky or them. But they were obviously with the rebels which was why they were now running for their lives and, to the particular dismay of Sky, heading their way.

"This way," Sky yelled as he pulled Sydney and Bridge down out of sight behind a nearby market stall. He sent them both a menacing glare as he placed his finger to his lips, signaling them both to stay quiet until the Krybots passed.

"Shouldn't we-

"Shh!" Sky hissed, cutting Sydney off.

Syd sent a glare back at Sky before starting again, her voice lower this time. "Shouldn't we help them or something?"

"Syd, we don't even know who they are or why they're running. We _do not_ want to get mixed up in this."

"Well I do. They need help, and if they're running away from the Krybots usually means they're the good guys which is a good enough reason for me," Syd shot back making to move out from behind the stand. Sky pulled her down though.

"Are you nuts Syd?" Sky hissed angrily. "What exactly do you plan to do when they start shooting at you?"

"Fight back!" Sky replied haughtily as she tried to wrench her arm from Sky's vice like grip.

"No way Syd! Your father ordered me and Bridge to keep you safe and I intend to do just that."

"Well then, you're going to have to keep up," Syd replied defiantly as she quickly grabbed one of her shopping bags and launched it at passing Krybot, tripping it in the process. With equal speed and force kicked Sky's hand away and launched herself at the nearest Krybot.

Stunned only for a second, Bridge and Sky quickly shared knowing glances and headed after Syd. They too engaged the nearest Krybots trying desperately to stay as close to Syd as possible and keep her out of harms way.

Meanwhile, only a few yards the young man and woman had also began to engage the Krybots in battle, having been cut off from their escape root. Both sent each other curious looks as they noticed they're new allies who had joined the fray. Not that either of them minded. They could certainly use the help, and the three of them seemed to be holding their own quite well.

Suddenly though, fear spread across the face of the Hispanic woman as she recognized one of the fighters. "Oh no," she breathed. Unfortunately she didn't have much time to think over the situation as she was quickly engaged by another Krybot. Leaping out of the way of the Krybot's shots, she quickly replicated herself and grabbed the machine from behind.

In their own type of partnership, Sydney and Sky had also taken on an approach of double teaming all the Krybots that came near. Sydney had recently picked up a near by stone and was handling much of the offensive attacks while Sky had unconsciously put himself in charge of defense. Almost like a dance partners, Sky would lead and toss Syd towards the attacking Krybots, and, when necessary, spin her towards him so he could throw up shield to protect them from the laser shots. At the very least both parties seemed fairly satisfied with the situation as each got what they needed out of the alliance: Sydney got an ally in battle and Sky got a way to keep Sydney from running off out of his sights. It definitely wasn't a permanent thing though. It was the kind of alliance that ended the minute the fight ended and that suited both of them just fine.

While Sky and Sydney had managed to stay close together, Bridge had managed to drift quite a distance from his two friends but he seemed to be holding his own quite well. All the street fighting skill he had picked up from his days before joining Drew Tech security served him well as now as landed a series of punches and kicks to anything that dared approach him. He was almost enjoying himself as he let out his pent up fury on the attacking Krybots. Not that he had a lot of fury, but it was just nice to not worry about sportsmanship and fighting dirty. The Krybots would certainly not show him the same courtesy and it's not like they cared either way.

For each of the fighters the battle continued to rage on for several minutes more until most of the Krybots had been destroyed. They finally got to the point where only four were left. Syd and Sky were making quick work of the two nearest to them and the two rebels took on the others. Bridge, who had defeated the last Krybot nearest him pondered on whether or not he should even bother to interfere as both pairs seemed to be handling themselves quite well. His thoughts though were cut short though as one of the Krybots who had been fighting Sky and Syd landed a surprise kick and knocked Sydney back into Sky. Before Bridge's brain could even register the thought to react he was hit square in the shoulder by the Krybot's laser blast, sending him crumpling to the ground.

"Bridge," someone cried out.

Surprisingly though, it wasn't Sydney or Sky who had called out. It was the brunette rebel girl. In a few swift moves both her and her partner took down the two Krybots who they had been fighting with and rushed over to Bridge's side.

"Bridge, Bridge," she called out as she tried to rouse her fallen friend. "Wake up Bridge, come on." She looked about worriedly as her male comrade began to inspect Bridge's wound. "How bad is it Jack?"

"I don't know Z, but it doesn't look good," he replied grimly. "We need to get him to a doctor ASAP."

"Hey you two!" Syd yelled angrily as she rushed over towards Bridge, "Get away from him."

"Relax girly," Z replied gruffly, "We're just here to help. But we need to get him to a doctor quick!"

"We can take him back to complex," said Syd, slightly insulted by the 'girly' comment. "We've got an on staff doctor there. He should be able to help him no problem."

"Back to Drew Tech? Are you nuts?" Jack exclaimed incredulously.

"You have a better idea?" demanded Sydney. Suddenly she turned back to Sky who was surprisingly still engaged with the last two Krybots. "Sky! Get over here!"

Sky ignored her though as he continued to fight. With a swift round house kick he literally knocked the head straight off the Krybot closest to him. The other one took advantage of this moment and fired at Sky who barely had time to raise a shield against the attack. Sky was briefly blinded as sparks showered from the connecting energies, and it was just enough time for the Krybot to race off. Sky began to chase after it but he soon lost it turned a corner amidst the sea of market stall.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath.

"Sky, just let it go," Syd shouted after Sky who was still staring off in the direction where the lost the Krybot. "We have bigger problems here."

Sky's face immediately darkened as he turned back to face Syd. "No Syd, thanks to you, Bridge's wound is the least of our problems," Sky sneered as he began to approach Syd. "That Krybot was actually quite a bit more important than Bridge because that Krybot is the very reason that we now can't go back to complex to _get_ Bridge to a doctor."

"What do you mean, _thanks to me_?" Syd demanded, clearly insulted by Sky's insinuating tone.

"God, you really are as stupid as you act, Syd, I just never truly realized it before today," Sky snarled angrily. "We just attacked a platoon of Krybots Syd. You know? Krybots! The _law enforcers_ of New Tech city. And now that Krybot that just got away there is going to back to who ever he reports to and is going to tell them exactly who attacked him."

"You don't know that for sure Sky. They don't even know who we are! All they're going to say is they were attack by 5 rebels. No big deal! We'll lay low for a bit and no one will know the difference. I don't even know what your problem is Sky! You're the one who's always saying you don't want to be one of the people who stand around and wait to be saved. I just decided to do that myself!"

Sky growled angrily in frustration. "Ugh! You're missing the point Syd! This isn't about being brave. It's about being smart! Laying low isn't going to work because they don't need to look for us. They know exactly where we live. That Krybot probably has surveillance footage of each and every one of us, attacking them no less! AIDING two rebels! That's more than enough to reason for them to lock us up for life, assuming they don't shoot us on site! And even if they don't have footage, how long do you think it will take them to figure out who the blond girl escorted by two Drew Tech Security personnel is? You're Dad builds their bloody weapons for god's sake! They're going to figure it out and they're going to tear the whole complex apart to find us."

"My Dad-

"-can't do a damn thing Syd," Sky finished. "The only reason he's been able to protect all the people he has is by going along and following the rules. The minute you attacked those Krybots you threw that all away. Your _whole life, **my** _life, **_Bridge's _**life, all for a couple of strangers. I hope it was worth it Sydney," Sky spat.

Syd stared silently at Sky, her mouth open to protest, but she couldn't think of anything to say. He was right. And now they had no where to go.

"Um," Z said, grabbing both their attention. "I hate to break to this up but Bridge still needs to get a doctor and sooner really would be better than later."

"We can't take him to complex," Sky stated coldly. Syd only lowered her head in shame.

"Then you'll all come with us," Jack commanded. "I know someone who can help."

_To be continued…_

* * *

_Wow! this has to be one of my fastest updates yet! But I guess I'm really getting back into writing this story! Hope you enjoyed the chap! I made it extra long hopefully to the enjoyment of the readers! _

_Thanks to all of the reviewers! Let me say now though that **there will not be any romances taking place in this story! **Maybe some light flirting between Sky and Syd but no major subplots. Trust me, if you knew how badly I sucked at writing romances you'd be thanking me! Besides, I think there's enough going on to keep you readers plenty interested! So I put your worries to rest when I say there will not be any romances taking over the plot line! Personally, I love a good romance, just not in this story! Don't think there won't be a good deal of angst and flirting though! There's always plenty of that to go around! And it's so much fun to write! ; P_

_Please, as always review... even if you hate it! I really won't mind if you say so! At least then I know! I promise I won't get insulted. I'm not dumb enough to think I'm that great of writer that I will always get good reviews! Bad ones are more helpful anyways!_


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